Second Bucolic: The Property of Virgil on the Banks of the Mincio 1955

Jacques Villon made 'Second Bucolic: The Property of Virgil on the Banks of the Mincio' and it looks like he used color crayons or maybe lithography. The marks feel so direct, like he was right there in the landscape just drawing what he saw. The colors are just beautiful, there is this kind of muted pastel palette with the cows as these yellow-orange shapes against the greens and blues. The texture feels soft, like the smudgy quality you get from crayons. Look at the way Villon drew the road or river. It’s just a few quick lines, but it totally works. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s the essence of the river, you fill in the rest." It reminds me a bit of Bonnard, that sense of capturing a fleeting moment with simple gestures. Art is really about an ongoing conversation, isn't it? Each artist riffing off of those who came before, finding their own way to see and share the world. And that's always open to multiple ways of seeing.